The Janus kinases (JAK) are a family of tyrosine kinases consisting of JAK1, JAK2, JAK3 and TYK2. The JAKs play a critical role in cytokine signaling. The down-stream substrates of the JAK family of kinases include the signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) proteins. JAK/STAT signaling has been implicated in the mediation of many abnormal immune responses such as allergies, asthma, autoimmune diseases such as transplant rejection, rheumatoid arthritis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and multiple sclerosis as well as in solid and hematologic malignancies such as leukemias and lymphomas. JAK2 has also been implicated in myeloproliferative disorders, which include polycythemia vera, essential thrombocythemia, chronic idiopathic myelofibrosis, myeloid metaplasia with myelofibrosis, chronic myeloid leukemia, chronic myelomonocytic leukemia, chronic eosinophilic leukemia, hypereosinophilic syndrome and systematic mast cell disease.
WO2004/046120 describes diaminotriazoles useful as inhibitors of protein kinases, including Flt3, FMS, c-Kit, PDGFR, JAK, AGC sub-family of protein kinases, CDK, GSK, Src, ROCK and/or Syk. However, there is a need to develop compounds that are more selective inhibitors of protein kinases, such as those that inhibit Aurora-2, Flt3, KDR, JAK2 and JAK3. In particular, it would be desirable to develop compounds that are useful as inhibitors of JAK family kinases.